Brief overview
- Treatment and prevention: proper brushing of teeth, regular self-checking of gums, regular dental visits and oral hygiene, correction of ill-fitting dentures, healthy diet, bite splint (for nocturnal teeth grinding), possible removal of tongue/lip piercing, gum grafting (in severe cases).
- Symptoms: loss of volume and recession of the gums. Severity levels according to Miller range from Class I (mild recession, no damage yet to tooth bed and bone) to Class IV (severe recession with loss of tissue and bone, severe tooth misalignment).
- Consequences: exposed tooth necks, tooth neck caries, pain at the tooth necks on touch and temperature stimuli, inflammation of the tooth bed (periodontitis), degeneration of the jaw bone, tooth loss.
Gum recession: What to do?
The gums (gingiva) are a special part of the oral mucosa. When the gums recede (gingival atrophy), they lose substance and increasingly withdraw from the teeth. As a result, more and more of the underlying tooth sections become exposed. This not only looks unsightly, but can also damage the teeth. To prevent this from happening, you should do something as soon as the first signs of gum recession appear:
- You should have any existing tartar removed by a dentist.
- If nocturnal teeth grinding (bruxism) is the reason for gum recession, you should wear a customized bite splint at night. This prevents tooth damage and is gentle on the gums.
- You should have ill-fitting dentures corrected so that the gums do not recede further.
If the recession has not progressed too far, the gingiva can rebuild once the cause has been eliminated. In advanced stages, however, the gingiva can no longer regenerate. In this case, gum transplantation, in which tissue from the palate is transplanted to the affected areas, may be the only option.
Gum recession: prevention
You can also effectively prevent receding gums with the right diet. It is important that the gingiva is supplied with all the necessary vitamins and other nutrients. Especially vitamins A and C and the trace element selenium are elementary for strong gums.
Gum recession: Causes
Basically, gum recession can be due to gingivitis or have other causes. Usually, several factors play together in gum recession.
Inflammatory causes for gum recession
Daily tooth brushing helps against soft plaque. However, together with individual substances from saliva, plaque can harden into tartar, which can no longer be removed with a normal toothbrush. Since further bacteria can settle on the rough surface of the tartar, thus further increasing the risk of gingivitis, the tartar should be removed by a dentist.
Risk factors for gingivitis
- Smokers and diabetics also suffer more frequently from gingivitis, as their gingiva is usually less well supplied with blood.
Non-inflammatory causes of gum recession
If the gums recede without inflammation, this is called gingival recession. It usually occurs when the gums are subjected to excessive pressure or traction. This occurs, for example, due to:
- Teeth grinding (bruxism): The pressure exerted on the teeth during nighttime grinding can be transmitted to the gums.
- Frenulum of the lips and cheeks too close to the tooth: Lip and cheek frenulums are connective tissue folds between the lip or cheek and gums. If they are too close to the tooth, the strong traction they exert can lead to gum recession.
- orthodontic measures: If the teeth push forward, for example due to braces treatment, this can lead to the breakdown of the outer jaw bone and gum recession.
- Predisposition: In some people, the gingiva is basically only very thin. Then, even weak triggers are enough for the gums to recede.
Gum recession: Symptoms
In gingival recession, the gums lose volume and retreat from the necks of the teeth. Depending on how pronounced the symptoms are, a distinction is made between different degrees of severity.
Gum recession: degrees of severity
The degree of gum recession can be determined using the Miller grading system. According to this, a distinction is made between four classes:
- Class II: The gums recede to the mucogingival line. Tooth bed and bone are intact.
- Class III: Gum recession extends to the mucogingival line. Tissue and bone loss has already occurred, resulting in slight tooth misalignment.
- Class IV: Like Class III, but severe tooth misalignment is already evident.
Gum recession: Consequences
Exposed tooth necks are also very sensitive to pain: touch and temperature stimuli, for example when eating ice or hot drinks, cause an unpleasant pulling sensation on the unprotected tooth necks.
Gum recession: When do you need to see a doctor?
Gum recession can be stopped if it is detected early enough. The most important thing is to identify and eliminate the triggers. The trained eye of a dentist not only detects gum recession faster than a layperson, but also its cause. Regular routine examinations by the dentist are therefore very important.
